Kings of Judah: dates
The Deuteronomists regularly relate the beginning of a king’s reign to the reign of the contemporary king of Israel. If we disregard this for the moment and focus only on the sequence of kings and on the number of years each king of Judah is said to have reigned the following chart offers approximate dates. Following Gershon Galil, it is based on the assumption that Rehoboam’s reign began in 931. It also assumes that from the tenth to the eighth centuries Judah followed the Egyptian practice of counting the time (however short) before the New Year as the first year of a king’s reign. The New Year after his accession is calculated as the beginning of his second year. In the seventh century under Assyrian influence, they appear to have counted the first year from the New Year after the beginning of a king’s reign.Saul (c. 1025-1005; 1Samuel 9-31) David (c. 1005-970; 2Samuel) Solomon (c. 970-931; 1Kings 1-11)Rehoboam (931-915) 1Kings 11:43 - 14:31 Abijam (915-913) 1Kings 14:31 - 15:2 Asa (912-871) 1Kings 15:8-24 Jehoshaphat (870-846) 1Kings 15:24 - 22:50 Jehoram (848-841) 1Kings 22:50 - 2Kings 9:24 Ahaziah (841) 2Kings 8:25-29 Athaliah (841-835) 2Kings 11:3-20 Joash (835-796) 2Kings 11:21 - 13:13 Amaziah (798-770) 2Kings 14:1-18
[It seems that from 798-796 Amaziah was co-regent with his father.] Azariah [Uzziah] (785-734) 2Kings 15:1-6
[Azariah was co-regent from 785-770; see 2Kings 14:13] Jotham (749-734) 2Kings 15:32-38
[Jotham was co-regent from 749-734; see 2Kings 15:5] Ahaz (734-727) 2Kings 16:1-20 Hezekiah (727-699) 2Kings 18:1 - 20:21
[Hezekiah reigned in his own right from 715; see 2Kings 18:10,13] Manasseh (698-643) 2Kings 22:1-18 Amon (642-641) 2Kings 21:18-25 Josiah (640-609) 2Kings 21:26 - 23:30 Jehoahaz (609) 2Kings 23:30-34 Jehoiakim (609-598) 2Kings 23:34 - 24:6 Jehoiachin (597) 2Kings 24:6 - 25:29